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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Cultural suppression / dehumanization
Israel bans celebrations of Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009 throughout country
Israeli Minister of the Interior Avi Dichter issued an order to cancel
the Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture events planned for the Israeli city
of Nazareth, and ordered all other events planned in commemoration
throughout Israel on Friday. The order that was handed over Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jarayesa who said
it banned celebrations for Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture everywhere
within the borders of Israel.
The decision elicited angry responses from residents, who described it
as “racist” and said it affirmed the harsh policies forced on a
population under occupation.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36579
Israeli soldiers arrest balloon launchers in Jerusalem; stamp out cultural events
Israeli police stormed a school, community center and arrested several
Palestinian cultural officials in Jerusalem in efforts to quash popular
celebration of the Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture kick off events
scheduled for Saturday. Police stormed the Burj Al-Laqlaq Society buildings in the northern
sector of Jerusalem’s Old City and raided the buildings. They detained
director Imad Aj-Ja’ouni and ordered the employees to shutdown plans
for the celebration. Another Israeli police force detained Arij D’eibes, the official
translator for the Palestinian President, after stroming her home in
Beit Hanina in Jerusalem....
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36586
MK Baraka: Israel's attempt to stomp out cultural events effort to quash Palestinian identity
Cancelling celebrations of Palestinian heritage in Jerusalem and other
Arab-majority cities is another Israeli “attempt to eliminate the
city’s Palestinian and Arab identity,” Arab member of the Israeli
Knesset Mohamad Baraka said Friday ... In a statement Baraka called the decision a “rude assault on the
freedom of political and cultural work” noting that “this [Israeli]
government is not only against peace but against anything that is
human, cultural and modern. It is afraid even of the words, culture and
art so considers such activities as threatening.”
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36576
Gaza church accuses de facto gov't of banning Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture events in Strip
The de facto government in Gaza banned celebrations of Al-Quds Capital
of Arab Culture 2009, accused Father Manuel Musallam pastor of the
Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip on Saturday ... The de facto government had earlier held a kick-off celebration in the
name of Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009, two weeks ahead of the
events in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, scheduled for Saturday.
Though both the caretaker and the de facto governments planned to hold
events in honor of the claimed Palestinian capital, there has been no
indication that the sides are cooperating over joint celebrations.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36590
Racist and sexist Israeli military shirts show the fruits of Israeli militarism
Ha'aretz is continuing to divulge soldier testimonies from Gaza. You can find the fullest report yet here.
The messianic fervor that fueled the Israeli policy of collective
punishment is laid bare.I'm not going to comment on it yet, just go
read it.There is another report in today's Ha'aretz that I do want to comment on. Uri Blau's article "'No virgins, no terror attacks'" describes the practice of Israeli soldiers getting custom clothing printed with their unit's
insignia along with graphics and text. Below are some examples of
shirts that were printed, along with some of the images. These images
only appeared on Ha'aretz's Hebrew-language website:
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/racist-and-sexist-military-shirts-show-the-fruits
-of-israeli-militarism.html
Jews sans frontieres: Herrenvolk humor
(with photos of some of the T-shirts) I bet you noticed this article. The obscene jokes mentioned in it are listed at MondoWeiss. On the right, shirt ordered by the demolition unit of
the Regiment 13 from the Golani Brigade, depicting the demolition of a
mosque and the punch line (or shall we say 'the dynamite line'?), "Only
God forgives." On the left is a shirt made for the "graduates" of a
sharpshooting course. It shows a child holding a gun in the crosshair
with the text, "Smaller is harder."
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2009/03/herrenvolk-humor.html
Land theft
ARIJ study: "Settlements increased by 173% in 20 years"
A field study conducted by the Applied Research Institute (ARIJ)
reported that the Israeli state had significantly increased the illegal
construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank with a percentage
that reached 173%. ARIJ [also] reported that the number of settlers
currently living in the
occupied West Bank is more than 500.000 compared to 240.000 in 1990.
This number is a 109% increase in the number of settlers living there.
There are 2.5 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank
which represents 8537 persons living in each kilometer.
http://imemc.org/article/59482
Shaikh Sabri: 78,700 settlement units are under construction in WB and J'lemt
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the head of the
higher Islamic authority, stated Friday that 5,700 Israeli housing
units are under construction in occupied Jerusalem and 73,000 in the
West Bank in order to accommodate more than one million Jews. During a
Khutba (sermon) delivered in the Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Sabri warned that
the expansion of settlements and apartheid wall are aimed to judaize
Jerusalem, isolate it from the West Bank and endorse its annexation as
Israel's capital.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
In their own words (end of the two-state solution edition)The
New York Times covers Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's US barnstorming tour
today. During a description of the mass house demolitions taking place
in Palestinian neighborhoods Ethan Bronner quotes
Yakir Segev, the person Barkat has put in charge of East Jerusalem:
"Jerusalem is a laboratory. If we succeed in solving the conflict with
the Arabs of Jerusalem, it will also be possible to solve it everywhere
in Israel." Bronner explains that this refers to "both improving
services for the Palestinians and ending any ambiguity about Jewish
dominance." The first point is questionable, the second, not so much.
Arrests / attacks / siege / protests
Al Ma`asara: Two women injured by Israeli soldiers in anti-wall protest
Hundreds of demonstrators came out to the village, which has had more
than 1,700 dunnums (425 acres) of village land confiscated for the
construction of the separation wall, and chanted slogans calling for a
halt to construction.
When the group arrived at the construction site, Israeli soldiers
attacked the lead women, identified as Leila Zawahra and Su’ad
Fawaghra.
They were treated in the field for severe bruising.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36575
Two photojournalists injured by Israeli soldiers in Jayyus
Two
Palestinian photojournalists identified as working with Reuters and
Ma’an were hit with rubber coated bullets while covering the weekly
protest against the separation wall in Jayyus Friday. The two
photojournalists were identified as Khalil Rayash, working with Ma’an
and Basher Nazzal with Reuters.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36580
Two Americans, one Palestinian shot with rubber-coated bullets in Bil`in
The residents of Bil'in marched towards the wall after the Friday prayer, joined by international activists.
Israeli soldiers launched several tear gas canisters into the crowd to
disperse it, and fired volleys of rubber-coated steel bullets. Two
Americans, known only as Mike and Michael, were injured, along with one
Palestinian. They were treated in the field for light injuries.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36571
Six injured, one critically, at Ni`lin weekly protest
Demonstrators
carried banners in support of the American supporter, Tristan Anderson,
who was critically wounded in last week's protest. Anderson is still at
an Israeli hospital receiving treatment. Doctors are currently saying
that he will live, but with severe disabilities resulting from the
injury to his head. As soon as locals and international supporters
arrived in the part of the village where Israel is building the wall,
soldiers showered them with tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets;
also firing live rounds of ammunition. Six were injured, one critically
when he was hit in the head by a rubber-coated steel bullet. Dozens
were treated for gas inhalation.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59469
In village, Palestinians face gas with rocks
NILIN, West Bank
— The orchard was carpeted with a riot of wildflowers [photo].
Butterflies flitted around, keeping low to the ground. But the
seemingly idyllic scene on the edge of this Palestinian
village in the West Bank was deceptive. Camouflaged among the olive
trees and the cactus bushes were khaki-clad members of the Israeli
security forces armed with guns and ample supplies of tear gas, the
canisters stored in large metal drums.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/world/middleeast/21westbank.html?_r=1
Military checkpoint at Beita stops traffic south of Nablus
Israeli
forces set up a military checkpoint at the Beita crossroad south of
Nablus city on Saturday morning. Eyewitnesses reported seeing Israeli
patrols set up the checkpoint and
search vehicles coming in and out of the village and checking the ID
cards of citizens.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36582
Rafah crossing to remain closed
Adel Zo'rob, spokesperson for General Administration of Crossings said
on Friday morning that the Rafah crossing will remain closed until
obstacles to crossing are overcome. The Ministry of the Interior announced on Thursday that the Rafah
crossing in the southern Gaza Strip will remain closed to all groups in
protest against what they described as Egyptian control of travel.
http://imemc.org/article/59465
Al Mezan: Israeli siege kills another child patient in Gaza
Seventeen-year-old Maher
Mohammed al-Sheikh died in Gaza on Sunday 25 January 2009 waiting for
the Israeli government to give him clearance to receive treatment for
his leukemia in Israel. On 8 May 2008 Maher was diagnosed with leukemia at al-Shifa hospital in
Gaza City. He was granted a referral to Israel and after waiting for 40
days he was able to travel with his father to Tel Hashomer Hospital
outside Tel Aviv on 17 June 2008.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10410.shtml
Prisoners
Wa'ed society: Israeli prison officials placing the criminally insane in confinement with Hamas members
Media spokesperson of the society Abdallah Qandil called the practice
Israel’s latest tactic to push the prisoner swap issue and secure the
release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
“This is an expected action,” Qandil said in a statement, “especially after the Israeli government aborted the swap deal.”
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36585
Imprisoned Hamas leaders condemn international community for silence around latest abductions
Salfit – Ma’an – Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)
detained by Israeli forces in 2006 released a statement holding the
international community responsible for Israel’s most recent snatching
of five more Hamas PLC members.
Ten Hamas leaders were taken from their homes and offices earlier this
week, five of them were elected members of the PLC. The men are being
held in Israeli custody without charge or on suspicion of being a
member of a military organization.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36573
War crimes / Testimonies
PCHR Report: Aftermath (5) - Coming home
One
of the most important factors in recovery from trauma is the
ability to find sanctuary in the comfort of one’s home. The right to
safety and security. For many people in Gaza, this right has been
repeatedly violated, in the form of the destruction of their personal
property, often wantonly, by Israeli military forces ... A stairwell in
Rashad Helmi As-Samouni’s house a few doors down the road includes the
following sentences written in chalk: “There will be a day when we kill
all the Arabs” “Bad for the Arabs is good for me” “A good Arab is an
Arab in the grave” “Peace now, but between Jews and Jews, not Jews and
Arabs” While much of the graffiti is inflammatory and disturbing, there
are
also more human expressions written by weary Israeli soldiers such as:
“How much longer will we be here…?” “Until when?” “We want to go home”
and “I have no other country.”
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36578
Israel admits war crimes
By
"Skeptic" - An increasingly disturbing picture of the Israeli Defense
Forces' (IDF) misconduct in the Gaza invasion has emerged as
confessions from Israeli troops describe wanton destruction of
Palestinian homes, humiliation of civilians, and loosened rules of
engagement that resulted in high civilian casualties. An Israeli
defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not
allowed to make the information public, said the IDF used 120-mm mortar
rounds, among the largest, on a large group of civilians who had taken
refuge for safety in a hospital. At least five blast patters indicating
direct hits were found on the hospital floors. [looks as if the word is
getting out now even to small American towns]
http://my.auburnjournal.com/detail/109324.html
Reserve IDF generals: Gaza ethics probe necessary but difficult to carry out
"The IDF has neither the tools nor the culture to
carry out inquiries into ethical dilemmas. In fact, no army in the
world has such a thing," said Maj. Gen. (res.) Ami Ayalon, the former
head of the navy and Shin Bet security service. "We shouldn't be surprised that such stories come to
light. Whoever has lived in this country for the last 20 years, unless
he has closed his eyes and ears, should not be surprised. The IDF never
knew how to investigate such things, and in recent years, the problem
has become more difficult because there are more such incidents."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072505.html
MK Baraka: Testimonies of Israeli soldiers enough to indict their leaders
"Today, we read only little of the many things we know about the war
crimes committed by the Israeli soldiers in Gaza Strip with clear and
direct orders from the Israeli occupation government, the Israeli war
minister, and the army leadership", underlined Baraka, describing the
soldiers' confessions as "self-indicting" evidences. Baraka said
that Israeli occupation leaders should be put on trial for the war
crimes they had committed against the Palestinian civilians,
deprecating the international community's position that did not even
blame Israel.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Israel disputes PCHR's statement on Gaza offensive death toll
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) based in Gaza, published
the names of 1.417 Palestinians killed in the Israeli war against the
Gaza Strip. Israel disputed the list and claimed that most of its
targets were “legitimate”.
http://imemc.org/article/59460
The crimes we witnessed in Gaza
By Radhika Sainath. Two days after Israel ended
its 22-day invasion of the Gaza Strip, a friend and former clinical law
professor in Jerusalem, Huwaida Arraf, asked me: "What do you think
about organizing an emergency legal delegation to Gaza?" ... A week later, eight National
Lawyers Guild members and a documentary filmmaker landed in Egypt. We
crossed into Gaza through the Rafah land crossing on 2 February 2009.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10409.shtml
Speaking truth to power
We were back at Faraheen this morning accompanying farmers again,
eyeing the jeeps driving along the Israeli border while our farmers
removed the irrigation pipes from one of the fields we have visited
regularly. Since Mohammed was shot
in the leg, the farmer here has decided to give up on this field, its
convenient well, and its half-grown parsley crop - 200,000 shekels
worth - in case of further injury or death of harvesters. It was a
quiet morning, thank goodness.
http://talestotell.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/march-19-speaking-truth-to-power/
War-hit children struggle to lead normal life
"I
visited psychological support programmes in northern Gaza run by Unicef
in partnership with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society [PRCS] which
include art therapy, singing, and stress relieving activities," she
said. "At the centre the children were drawing missiles that were aimed
at their houses. One little girl drew a black area at the bottom of her
picture, saying 'This is where the dead people are' - perhaps
indicating a cemetery."
http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10296788.html
Negotiations / Diplomacy / Internal divisions
Cairo calls factions back to Egypt in wake of meeting with Washington
An urgent meeting of Palestinian factions in Cairo was called Saturday by Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman.
The head mediator of the Palestinian unity talks resume national talks
had just returned to Egypt from meetings in Washington with the Obama
administration and called delegates back to Cairo so unity talks could
resume and all parties could be informed of the outcomes of the
Washington meetings. A diplomatic source noted the meeting will take place Saturday or
Sunday, and that it will also have on the agenda some of the sticking
points from the last round of talks.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36581
Palestinian factions to resume talks in Cairo next week
Palestinian factions are set to resume their internal talks next week
in an attempt to achieve a deal after the latest nine days of talks
failed to achieve a comprehensive deal for internal unity.
http://imemc.org/article/59462
Mustafa Barghouti: Israel again tries to derail Palestinian unity talks
Barghouthi said that there has been a breakthrough in national
reconciliation and the nature of the transition government functioning
until the end of the legislative council's mandate. Barghouthi accused Israel of trying again to derail the Palestinian
national unity as it did in 2007, through aborting the exchange of
prisoners and launching a campaign of arrests against the Palestinian
deputies and leaders. He condemned the recent arrests by the Occupation
authorities.
http://imemc.org/article/59464
US to spend $1 million on accommodations for Mideast envoy George Mitchell
U.S. officials said Friday the State Department will
spend about $1 million to renovate, reconfigure and furnish the
Washington workspace of special Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell and
outfit satellite offices for him in Jerusalem and in New York, where he
lives.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072698.html
Fatah blasts Hamas-supported bank
The Palestinian Authority announced the illegality
of the "Islamic National Bank" which is the first bank to be licensed
by the Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip ... The PMA announcement regarding the illegality of the bank means that it will operate independently solely within the Gaza Strip.
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=16130
Abbas fires ambassador to Moscow for attending Hamas's rally on Gaza
MOSCOW, (PIC)-- The veteran Palestinian diplomat Afif Safia, who serves
as Palestine ambassador in Moscow, was "arbitrarily" fired from his post
by former PA chief and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas for attending a rally
organized by Hamas Movement on Gaza tragedy, the London-based Al-Quds
Al-Arabi newspaper revealed Thursday.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Fatah youth post banners 'No to the Iranian intervention' around West Bank
The same slogan is repeated on more than 1,500 billboards, banners and
posters line the streets to Ramallah, intermittently condemning
interference from Iran, Syria and Qatar. The banners were sponsored and erected through an effort of the
Jerusalem branch of the Fatah Youth Organization, and refer to
suspected interference from states aligned with Hamas, and not with the
Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36574
Other news
PA police find missing soldier during Nablus-area search
The Israeli army announced a comprehensive state of alert Friday
evening after an Israeli soldier disappeared near the illegal
settlement Shavi Shamron west of Nablus ... Head of village and municipal affairs office in Nablus district Ghassan
Dughlus said “the soldier appeared suddenly after three hours of
searching for him by the PA security forces who handed him to the
Israeli side safe and sound with his rifle and military uniform.”
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36584
Poisoning attack mastermind sent to jail
Military court
sentences Nablus resident Eihab Abu Rial, who conspired to poison
customers at Ramat Gan restaurant where he worked as a cook, to six
years in prison. Defense counsel says his client was in distress over
broken heart
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3689571,00.html
Palestinians say Lebanon soiled Iran food aid
TRIPOLI, Lebanon, March 21, 2009 (AFP) - Palestinian factions
in Lebanon accused the army on Saturday of contaminating Iranian food
aid destined for a refugee camp by using sniffer-dogs to search the
shipment. "Camp residents refuse to eat what the police dogs have
soiled," several Palestinian factions in northern Lebanon, including
the Islamist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, said in a statement
received by AFP.
It referred to a shipment donated by Iran for residents of the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/RMOI-7QCKKC?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P
King of Bahrain: Jews welcome to return
Kashmiri Nomad reported that King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa of Bahrain "officially extended a warm invitation to any expartiate Bahraini Jew to return to the Arab kingdom." ... His majesty is no recent judeophile. He appointed a
Jewish woman, Huda Azra Nunu to be Bahrain's Ambassador to the United
States, the first Jewish woman to serve in such a capacity in the Arab
world, according to Kashmiri Nomad.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2009/03/king-of-bahrain-bahraini-jews-have.html
Anti-Solidarity, Collaboration
George Galloway banned from Canada
Anti-war MP George Galloway
has been banned from Canada, it emerged today. A
Canadian spokesman confirmed that the Respect MP had been deemed
inadmissible on national security grounds and would not be allowed into
the country ... Alykhan Velshi, [immigration minister Jason] Kenney's
spokesman, said that the act was designed to protect Canadians from
people who fund, support or engage in terrorism. "We're going to uphold
the law, not give special treatment to this infamous street-corner
Cromwell who actually brags about giving 'financial support' to Hamas,
a terrorist organisation banned in Canada," he said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/mar/20/george-galloway-banned-canada
Opinion / Analysis
The Israeli terror
By David Rovics. When I first visited Israel in 1999 I was struck
by what a nation of trauma survivors it was. I was reminded immediately
of my first visit to Ireland some years before, where the great famine
that wiped out half the population over a century before seemed like it
had happened perhaps a generation ago. In Israel the Nazi Holocaust
seemed to have happened yesterday, and in the mindset of many Israelis
it seemed as if it were carried out by Palestinians rather than
Germans. I encountered anti-Arab racism daily in Israel. When I sang
songs about the horrors of the sanctions against Iraq (around a half
million Iraqi children dead as a direct result at that point according
to UNICEF) I was told by middle-class, middle-aged Israeli folk music
fans that killing Iraqi children was OK because they were just going to
grow up to become terrorists anyway.
http://songwritersnotebook.blogspot.com/2009/03/israeli-terror.html
James Zogby / From Belfast to Jerusalem: Lessons from Northern Ireland for Israeli-Palestinian peace
On the day after St. Patrick's Day, a panel was convened on Capitol
Hill to discuss the lessons learned from the Irish peace process, and
reflect on their applicability to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ...
During the discussion, several similarities were noted between the
Irish and Middle East conflicts: the competing narratives of
victimhood; the ways that the "other" was demonized, making trust more
difficult; the role played by of external enablers in the "diaspora" in
perpetuating the conflict, and the nagging sense of the conflict's
intractability that sometimes led to despair. These were all overcome
in Ireland. The process, and its outcome, though imperfect, has
produced results.
This was in evidence in the response to the recent acts of violence,
which witnessed leaders and majorities, on both sides, come together in
support of the hard-won peace.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/from-belfast-to-jerusalem_b_177482.html
Jonathan Cook / Bedouin villages left in the dark ages
Little
Ashimah Abu Sbieh’s life hangs by a thread -- or more specifically, an
electricity cable that runs from a noisy diesel-powered generator in
the family’s backyard. Should the generator’s engine fail, she could
die within minutes ... The desperate plight of Ashimah’s parents is
shared by thousands of other Bedouin families caring for chronically
sick relatives who live in communities to which Israel refuses to
supply electricity, said Wasim Abas of Physicians for Human Rights in
Israel. The organisation’s latest report, titled “Sentenced to
Darkness”, calls the state’s denial of essential services, including
running water and electricity, to 83,000 Bedouin in the southern Negev
desert, “bureaucratic evil”.
http://www.counterpunch.org/cook03182009.html
Netanyahu would deny Palestinians 4 rights of any sovereign state, and the Washington Post won't tell you that
I am continually amazed by how the internet has empowered non-writers
to become equal players in the discourse to writers. As someone who
loves writing, I celebrate this process (though it's sure doing a
number on the press, and my income!). To wit, Bruce Wolman, a Bethesda
doctor, speculates that the American press may be unconsciously
preparing to make Bibi Netanyahu warm and acceptable, as they once did
for Ariel Sharon. Dr. Wolman wrote yesterday to Howard Schneider, who penned this piece in the Washington Post on the likely clash between Netanyahu and Obama. Here's Wolman's beautiful letter
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/netanyahu-would-deny-palestinians-4-rights-of-
any-sovereign-state-and-washington-post-wont-tell-you-.html
Khaled Diab: The Middle East media frontline
The media should be a channel for creative and novel approaches to
the conflict, as well as a conduit for debate. It should highlight
positives and not just fixate on negatives. Although we all know that
violence makes headlines, non-violence should also be given prominent
coverage. There is a lot of demonisation going on. Journalists
can help to counteract this by humanising the people on both sides of
the divide. Bloggers, online forums and social networking sites are
playing a crucial role in this respect.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/18/middleeast-palestinian-territories
Khalid Amayreh / Our ambassador to Poland
Many of our so-called ambassadors around
the world are really unqualified for the job. They simply lack the
required professionalism and experience to communicate the plight of
our people and justice of our national cause to a world community that
is heavily bombarded by Zionist lies around the clock
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Gilad Atzmon / War on terror within: the end of Jewish history
The issue I am going to discuss today is probably the most important
thing I've ever had to say about Israeli brutality and contemporary
Jewish identity ... More than anything else, the Israelis and their supportive Jewish
communities are terrorised by the brutality they find in themselves.
The more ruthless the Israelis are, the more frightened they become.
The logic is simple. The more suffering one inflicts on the other, the
more anxious one becomes of the possible potential deadly capacity
around. In broad terms, the Israeli projects on the Palestinian, Arab,
Muslim and Iranian the aggression which he finds in himself.
Considering the fact that Israeli brutality is now proved to be with no
limit and with no comparison, their anxiety is as at least as great.
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2009/03/21/gilad-atzmon-war-on-terror-within-the-end-of-jewish-history/
Rannie Amiri / The Middle East's jittery monarchies - why Morocco cut ties with Iran
...These apparently unrelated grievances put forth by the Moroccan
government are indicative of the anxiety and pressure many Middle
Eastern monarchies are increasingly feeling these days (especially in
the aftermath of the Gaza war). In order to deflect attention away from
the (il)legitimacy of their rule, the old canard of “Persian”
interference is once again being employed.
http://www.counterpunch.org/amiri03202009.html
Iraq
Greg Moses / The art of peace - Winter Soldier comes to Texas
First to speak today is Dr. Dahlia S. Wasfi, M.D. whose grandparents
include a Sunni Muslim, a Shia Muslim, and two Holocaust Jews. She
therefore begins her story with a memory of the Abraham who once upon a
time walked with Allah in Iraq. Dr. Wasfi's cousins will sometimes
boast that they walk the same ground as Abraham, but it has been hard
ground lately ... Dr. Wasfi presents a slide of what the Hanging
Gardens must have looked like when they counted among the Seven
Wonders. Do we seriously think that such a people from such a land
actually need our outside assistance to figure out how to be great or
to do great things? Well there is one thing the Iraqi people could use
that we could give them, says Dr. Wasfi, and that is immediate and
unconditional withdrawal.
http://www.counterpunch.org/moses03202009.html
'I took a picture to show my dentist' - the first package tourists arrive in Iraq
yesterday the first group of western package tourists to visit Iraq's
capital and second city finally arrived in Baghdad - tired, uninsured
and a little exasperated, but happy - after a 17-day tour that would
have been unthinkable 12 months ago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/mar/21/iraq-baghdad-tourists-package-british
Security developments in Iraq, March 21
March
21 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1400 GMT
on Saturday.
MOSUL - Iraqi police said they found the body of an ex-army officer
dumped in central Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad. BAGHDAD -
Two successive roadside bombs wounded three people including a
policeman in central Baghdad on Friday, police said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LL466833.htm
Iraqi widow sues former Blackwater employee and company over shooting
The suit alleges that the employee got lost after the 2006 party and,
after confronting Raheem Khalaf Saadoon, shot him for no reason.
Saadoon, 32, was a bodyguard for an Iraqi vice president.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/mideastemail/la-fg-blackwater21-2009mar21,0,1644166.story |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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